The spell Toki cast, Spirit Regression, is classified as transformation magic. Yet, outwardly, only his hair and eyes shift to a vivid blue. The true power lies in transforming a human into a divine spirit avatar.
["Graceful waters, grant my kin the blessing to repel calamity. By the name of the Avatar, I command you. My given name is Undine, the Water Spirit, incarnation of water, King of the Seas."]
A magic user surpassing elves, skilled in both magic and miracles.
["Aqua Veil."]
A shimmering blue cloak of magic enveloped the adventurers. Seeing this, Toki inhaled deeply and began his High-Speed Chanting.
"Water, roar!"
He chanted tirelessly, his first time performing High-Speed Chanting. Yet, he felt no fear of failure, because those he loved most were protected by him.
["Deep, deep, deep, ripples of the spring, currents of the great river, waves of the vast ocean. Wash the thriving civilization back to the primordial sea."]
The surrounding adventurers watched anxiously. Outside the barrier Lefiya had cast, the gnawing sounds of rats biting the barrier echoed.
["Swallow the sky, cover the earth, carry the ark and judge all life."]
A song unknown to most flowed into Toki's mind, or rather, it was already known. Blood, flesh, every cell making up his being remembered it.
["Grant equal end and new birth to all things. Punishment upon the foolish, and blessings upon the unknown potential, "]
Spirits cannot receive blessings (boons), because they are creations of the gods themselves, part of the divine. Bestowing a boon on them yields little effect. Yet, at this very moment, Toki's boon was taking effect.
In other words, Toki was transforming into a spirit that had received a boon, a paradoxical existence.
["By the name of the Avatar, I command you. My given name is Undine, the Water Spirit, incarnation of water, King of the Seas, "]
Toki gave Lefiya a quick glance. Seeing his resolve, she widened her eyes but nodded in trust.
["Disaster Wave!!"]
A massive blue magical circle unfurled, followed by a gigantic tsunami.
At the same moment, Lefiya lifted her barrier.
"Hey, Lefiya!?"
Surprised voices erupted, but the roar of the wave drowned them out.
The wave slammed into the ceiling of the pantry storeroom, then crashed to the floor, quickly swallowing it whole.
"...Huh?"
Tiona was the first to speak, tilting her head and making a confused noise.
"...I can hear voices normally?"
At Aisu's whisper, the other adventurers exchanged glances.
"More than that, we can breathe underwater."
"Yeah, it's true."
They were still inside the same pantry storeroom, now completely flooded. Everywhere they looked was filled with water.
"This must be the effect of that spell."
Riveria looked at her own hand, actually, the shimmering blue cloak covering it.
"I don't know the details, but it lets us breathe underwater… no, "
She moved her arm smoothly, feeling no resistance from the water.
"It's magic that allows you to move underwater just like on land. It even heals wounds."
The adventurers checked themselves. Their minor scratches had disappeared entirely.
"But… next time, a heads-up before you use it, Lefiya?"
"...Sorry."
Lefiya lowered her head apologetically as Riveria shot her a sideways glance.
Then their eyes shifted to the source of this whole situation… Toki, who was facing the enemy.
Drawn by the wave's force, the animals had fainted, and a massive swarm of killer ants floated in the water. Some struggled, but gradually their movements slowed and stopped.
Toki activated Aqua Veil again, this time covering only the animals' faces.
"...Maybe I was too soft."
Toki muttered quietly.
"Yeah."
Fin replied bluntly. Toki smiled wryly, but Fin continued:
"Better to regret trying than not trying at all. They probably won't counterattack immediately anyway."
"Thanks." Toki said.
"So, what's the plan from here?"
Fin asked, and Toki answered seriously:
"If possible, I want to chase Svartá. The 'Path of Beginnings' has… those people, but I want to settle this with my own hands."
"Finn, I agree. I cannot overlook his existence."
Riveria furrowed her brows, silencing the others. They'd been told of the relationship between Riveria and Svartá beforehand. Alicia, the elf, trembled with anger. Finn and Gareth frowned.
"Alright. Let's pursue at full speed. Enemies on the way, "
"That's no problem."
Toki cut in. The divine aura typical of a spirit emanated from him as his hair and eyes gleamed blue.
"Because the Disaster Wave just now sank this entire floor. No monsters remain alive."
"...What?"
The words slipped naturally from his mouth, but no one could catch up with the meaning. The adventurers stared blankly.
"Wait, wait, when you say you sank the floor, do you mean all three floors were submerged?"
"Exactly. Also, since I created the water, I can sense some life forms. The only humans here are us."
"...I see."
Finn gave up trying to think. He'd had no proper rest since the last expedition and was more exhausted than he appeared. This abnormal, unexpected situation shut down his mind.
"Raul, you're in charge of what's behind us."
"W-wait, Finn!?"
Raul panicked at the absurd command, but since he was entrusted, he had no choice.
"Is there a way to catch up?"
"We'll use magic to manipulate water currents to move quickly to the stairs. After that… running is fine, or flooding the second floor and moving through the water works too."
"I'll run."
Raul decided immediately; this situation couldn't get any worse.
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As usual, some unique setting notes: Spirits cannot receive boons, because if they did, powerful spirits would be beyond OP. So I set this rule. How about Toki then? Don't worry, there are drawbacks and backlash to his power.
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